Originally Posted by
Banzai
Frames can absorb high frequency vibration. Chip seal is (depending on the size) is beyond vibration...it's high frequency impact. No frame is going to make that much prettier.
What you need is squooshier tires. If a frame could soak up chip seal, it would noodle when you pedaled too.
One of these days, when I'm rich with lots of time on my hands, I'm going to get some identical bikes and try to disguise them. Then I'm going to find some people - preferably magazine reviewers - and I'm going to feed them marketing claptrap and then send them out on a ride. I'll await their return, where they will say different and amazing things about the ride qualities of the various, and identical, frames.
seeing as how you are from Del Rio Texas, home of some of the nastiest
chip-seal roads i have ever ridden a bicycle on, i heartily agree with your thoughts. remembering them when my tour passed through gainsville, Fl., i switched to 1 1/4 inch tires. what a relief!!
as to frame material vs ride quality, i can say that for me and the frames i ride on a regular basis, there is a difference. my CF with CF bars and seatpost transmits the most road "noise", then the ti with aluminum fork, then the lugged steel with steel fork, and finally the smoothest and heaviest of all (19lbs) my lugged steel with a Time carbon fork (aluminum steerer). i just realized the weight penalty increases with comfort. not all that surprising, i guess. all tires are either 20 or 23mm.